UCL Medical School Interview Questions (2026 Entry)
If you’re aiming for UCL Medicine (MBBS BSc), you’ll already know it’s seriously competitive — and that the interview matters. The good news? UCL is very clear about what they’re looking for, and the interview format (MMI) is designed so you can show your strengths across several short stations, not one intense grilling.
This blog is a full, copy‑and‑paste guide to the UCL Medical School interview for 2026 entry, including how UCAT is used, when interviews happen, how scoring works, and 48 example UCL Medicine interview questions grouped by the same qualities UCL scores.
Let’s get you ready. 🩺✨
Key facts at a glance ✅
Here are the headline details for UCL Medicine interview 2026 entry:
🏛️ Medical school: UCL Medical School (UCLMS), London
🧑⚕️ Course: Medicine MBBS BSc (UCAS code A100)
📍 Where you’ll learn: Central London + major teaching hospital sites
⏳ Course length: Usually 6 years (includes an integrated BSc year)
🗓️ UCAS deadline: 15 October 2025 (6pm UK time)
🧠 Admissions test: UCAT (sat in the year you apply)
🎤 Interview style: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI)
🧩 MMI structure: Up to 8 stations, 5 minutes each, 2–3 questions per station
🌍 Interview delivery: Home applicants in person, overseas applicants online
📅 Interview window: Invitations sent December to March (rolling)
👥 Typical number interviewed: Around 1,000 applicants
🧾 Overseas places: 24 places
📩 Offers timing: Some offers in February; most towards the end of March
Meet UCL Medical School 👩⚕️🏥
UCL Medical School has been educating doctors in London since 1834 and is based in the heart of the capital. It’s also one of the largest medical schools in the UK, with a yearly intake of about 334 undergraduate students on the MBBS programme. 🟦
One UCL feature worth knowing early: UCL Medicine includes an integrated BSc year, and UCL is known for offering a wide range of intercalated BSc opportunities — which fits its reputation as a research-heavy university.
What does that mean for your interview? UCL tends to like applicants who can show:
curiosity about healthcare and science 🧠
strong values and professionalism 🤝
the ability to work with people from all backgrounds 🌍
and resilience (because medicine is a marathon, not a sprint) 🏃♀️
How UCL decides who gets an interview 🎯
UCL receives thousands of applications every year, so they can’t interview everyone who meets the basic requirements. Here’s what matters in the UCL shortlisting process.
Step 1: Minimum academic requirements come first
UCL checks that you meet (or are predicted to meet) the minimum academic entry requirements.
A big point (and a common myth-buster): UCL states they do not score or rank GCSEs or A levels once you meet the minimum standard — and being predicted higher than the minimum does not automatically give you an advantage.
Step 2: UCAT is used to rank applicants for interview
Once UCAT scores are received (UCL says this happens in November), UCL uses UCAT scores to rank applicants and start inviting people to interview.
They are very clear that:
you must sit the UCAT in the year of application
reapplicants must sit the UCAT again
UCAT is used to rank candidates for interview shortlisting
Step 3: Contextual and overseas applicants are reviewed separately
Two important UCL-specific points:
Access UCL (contextual) applicants are automatically flagged, and their UCAT scores are reviewed separately.
UCL has 24 places for overseas applicants, and overseas applicants are selected separately from home applicants.
Step 4: Personal statements aren’t scored for interview shortlisting
UCL explicitly states they do not score personal statements to pick who gets an interview.
That doesn’t mean the personal statement is useless. It’s still your one chance on UCAS to show reflection and motivation — and it often becomes material for interview answers (because it shapes how you think about your experiences).
Quick reality check on work experience 🟢
UCL does not require clinical work experience or a minimum number of hours. What they do care about is the reflection: what you learned about caring roles, communication, professionalism, and the realities of healthcare.
UCL medicine interview format for 2026 entry 🧩
UCL uses Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs).
If the letters “MMI” make your stomach flip: you’re not alone. But MMIs are actually fairer than a traditional panel because you get multiple fresh starts.
What the UCL MMI is like
UCL’s MMI typically includes:
Up to 8 stations
Each station lasts 5 minutes
You get 1 minute before the station to read instructions
The interviewer asks 2–3 questions during the station
MMIs can include a mix of:
discussion questions (ethics, values, motivation)
problem-solving prompts
communication scenarios (sometimes role-play style)
Timings on the day ⏱️
UCL states:
you’ll usually be asked to arrive 30 minutes early to sign in and be briefed
the interview itself lasts about 50 minutes
there may be an optional campus tour after (around 45–50 minutes)
So in total, if you’re attending in person, it’s sensible to keep most of the day clear.
In-person vs online
For this cycle, UCL states:
Home applicants are interviewed in person
Overseas applicants are interviewed online
Where are in-person interviews held?
UCL’s in-person MMIs take place in the Rockefeller Building at UCL (central London).
Who interviews you?
UCL says interviewers come from a wide range of backgrounds, including:
clinical staff from local hospital/community sites
professional services staff
academic staff
medical students
teachers from local schools
This matters because your interviewer might not be a consultant firing medical trivia at you. The focus is on how you think, how you communicate, and your values.
When are UCL medicine interviews held? 🗓️
UCL invites candidates to interview on a rolling basis from December through to March.
Provisional interview dates for 2026 entry
UCL lists the following provisional dates:
Home applicants (in person):
9, 16, 18 and 19 December 2025
5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 16, 19, 20, 26 and 27 January 2026
2 and 3 March 2026
International applicants (online):
3, 6, 10, 13, 16, 17 and 24 February 2026
UCL also makes the point that when you get invited doesn’t give you an advantage. An interview in December isn’t “better” than an interview in March.
What topics are assessed at the UCL MMI? 🧠💬
UCL describes their interview as NHS values-based, meaning they want to see that your thinking fits core values needed for healthcare.
NHS values-based themes UCL highlights
UCL lists themes such as:
putting patients first
respect and dignity
commitment to quality of care
compassion
improving health and wellbeing
everyone counts
The core areas UCL scores at interview
UCL also states interviewers score candidates in areas including:
Academic curiosity and interest in healthcare
Motivation and understanding of a medical career (including robustness for the course)
Problem solving and reasoning ability
Professional attitudes and values (e.g., integrity, empathy, honesty, conscientiousness, compassion)
Teamwork, leadership, resilience and individual strengths
Communication skills (verbal ability, listening, eye contact)
If you’re wondering how to revise for that… don’t think “facts”. Think: examples + reflection + structured answers.
How the UCAT is used by UCL Medical School 📊
For 2026 entry, UCL states:
UCAT is used to rank applicants and invite to interview
UCL uses the total score for the three cognitive subtests (Verbal Reasoning, Decision Making, Quantitative Reasoning)
If candidates have the same total score, UCL uses the Situational Judgement Test (SJT) score as a tie-breaker
UCAT score out of 2700 for this cycle
UCL highlights that UCAT changed in 2025 (the year you sit UCAT for 2026 entry):
Abstract Reasoning is removed
The total cognitive score is now out of 2700 (not 3600)
UCAT cut-offs: useful context, not a prediction ⚠️
UCL published that for September 2025 entry (the first UCAT-shortlisting year at UCL), the minimum total scores invited to interview were:
Access UCL: 2600
Home: 2800
Overseas: 3060
(out of 3600 in that cycle)
But UCL stresses that previous UCAT scores aren’t indicative of future cohorts and it’s not possible to reliably predict future minimum scores.
UCAT timing for the 2026 entry cycle
UCL also states UCAT booking (for this cycle) opened 17 June 2025 and closed 19 September 2025 (12 noon BST).
How is the UCL medicine interview scored? 📝
UCL makes two things clear:
Structured scoring is used. Interviewers score your performance in the key domains (curiosity, motivation, reasoning, values, teamwork/resilience, communication).
Interviewers record marks on an iPad, and then scores are collected and reviewed.
The key idea to take away: you’re not being judged on one “perfect” answer. You’re being assessed across multiple short stations, against specific qualities.
How many people are interviewed, and how many get offers? 📈
UCL states they normally interview around 1,000 applicants each year.
For offers, the exact number varies each cycle, but UCL’s published undergraduate application data (2025/26) lists for UCL Medical School:
2092 applications
628 offers
337 places
(Do not stress if those numbers don’t perfectly match other figures you’ve heard — different datasets sometimes count “applications” differently. The important point for applicants is that it’s highly competitive, and UCL interviews far fewer people than apply.)
When are offers released? 📩
UCL explains that collecting scores across all MMIs takes time.
They state:
they hope to make some initial offers in February
the bulk of offers are made towards the end of March, once interviews are complete and they can see the range of scores
So if you interview later in the cycle, it’s normal to wait longer for a decision.
UCL Medical School interview questions: 48 examples by topic 🔥
Below are realistic UCL Medicine MMI practice questions organised by the same qualities UCL scores. Each one is written as a statement, then the question, so you can practise like a real station.
Academic curiosity and interest in healthcare 🧠
Statement: You read a headline saying a new drug “doubles survival”. Question: What would you want to know before trusting the claim?
Statement: A friend says, “Medicine is just memorising facts.” Question: What skills do you think matter just as much as knowledge?
Statement: You notice health outcomes differ by postcode in London. Question: What might explain this, and what role can healthcare play?
Statement: A GP surgery wants to use an AI chatbot for first appointments. Question: What are the potential benefits and risks?
Statement: A patient with a long-term condition keeps missing appointments. Question: What possible reasons could be behind this, and how would you respond?
Statement: You’re told a screening test has “90% accuracy”. Question: What follow-up questions would you ask to understand what that really means?
Statement: You’re interested in a medical topic you don’t understand yet. Question: How would you research it and check your sources are reliable?
Statement: A family member shares a health myth they saw online. Question: How would you challenge it without sounding patronising?
Motivation and understanding of a career in medicine 🎓
Statement: Lots of people say they want to “help others”. Question: What makes your motivation for medicine specific and believable?
Statement: Medicine includes long training and high responsibility. Question: Why is this still the right path for you?
Statement: Doctors don’t work alone. Question: What do you think the doctor’s role is within the wider multidisciplinary team?
Statement: The NHS can be under strain. Question: What challenges do you think junior doctors face, and how would you cope?
Statement: Imagine you don’t receive any medicine offers this year. Question: What would you do next, and how would you strengthen your application?
Statement: Someone says, “You’re too young to know you want medicine.” Question: How would you respond?
Statement: Medicine involves emotional moments (including patient death). Question: How might this affect you, and what support would you use?
Statement: You’ve done something outside school that shaped you. Question: How has that experience prepared you for medicine?
Problem solving and reasoning ability 🧩
Statement: In A&E, four patients arrive at once and resources are limited. Question: How would you decide who needs help first?
Statement: You’re given incomplete information but must make a decision. Question: How do you avoid jumping to conclusions?
Statement: A patient’s symptoms could fit more than one condition. Question: How would you approach the problem logically?
Statement: A clinical guideline changes and some staff disagree. Question: How would you decide what to follow and why?
Statement: A medication error is discovered. Question: What immediate steps should be taken, and what should happen afterwards?
Statement: A hospital wants to reduce missed appointments. Question: What are three ideas you’d consider, and what are the trade-offs?
Statement: A public health campaign isn’t working in one community. Question: How would you figure out why and improve it?
Statement: You have two urgent tasks and only time to do one first. Question: How do you prioritise and communicate your decision?
Professional attitudes, ethics and values 🧭
Statement: A competent adult refuses a life-saving treatment for religious reasons. Question: How would you approach this, and what principles guide you?
Statement: You overhear a student joking about a patient in public. Question: What would you do, and why?
Statement: A friend asks you to access confidential patient info “just to check something”. Question: How do you respond?
Statement: A patient wants to make a decision that you personally disagree with. Question: How do you respect autonomy while keeping them safe?
Statement: A colleague makes a mistake and seems to hide it. Question: What should happen next?
Statement: A patient appears confused but wants to leave hospital. Question: How would you think about capacity and safeguarding?
Statement: There’s only one ICU bed left during winter pressure. Question: What ethical principles should guide allocation?
Statement: You witness discriminatory behaviour towards a colleague or patient. Question: How would you handle it professionally?
Teamwork, leadership, resilience and individual strengths 🤝
Statement: In a group project, one person isn’t contributing. Question: How would you handle it without creating drama?
Statement: You receive critical feedback that stings. Question: How do you respond, and what do you do next?
Statement: Two team members have a conflict that’s slowing everyone down. Question: What steps would you take to resolve it?
Statement: You make a mistake during a responsibility role (school, work, volunteering). Question: How did you respond and what did you learn?
Statement: You’re overwhelmed juggling commitments. Question: What practical strategies would you use to stay organised and well?
Statement: You don’t get the result you wanted in an exam. Question: How do you bounce back and stay motivated?
Statement: A teammate is struggling emotionally. Question: How would you support them while keeping appropriate boundaries?
Statement: You’re put in charge of a team for the first time. Question: What would your leadership style be, and why?
Communication skills and empathy 💬
Statement: A patient is angry about a long waiting time. Question: What would you say to de-escalate the situation?
Statement: A parent demands antibiotics for a viral illness. Question: How would you explain your decision clearly and kindly?
Statement: A patient looks anxious but says, “I’m fine.” Question: How would you explore what’s really going on?
Statement: A patient has hearing or language barriers. Question: How would you adapt your communication?
Statement: You need to explain a complex idea to someone with no science background. Question: How would you check they’ve understood?
Statement: A patient shares misinformation they found online. Question: How do you correct it without dismissing them?
Statement: You need to deliver bad news in a sensitive way. Question: What structure would you use for that conversation?
Statement: A colleague disagrees with your approach in front of others. Question: How would you respond professionally?
Questions that come up at UCL specifically 🟦🟥
These are “UCL-flavoured” prompts that fit what UCL emphasises (research, integrated BSc, London clinical sites, values-based interviewing):
Statement: UCL Medicine includes an integrated BSc year. Question: How would you choose what to study, and why?
Statement: UCL teaching happens across different hospital sites. Question: What excites you about that, and what challenges might it bring?
Statement: UCL is research-intensive. Question: How would you get involved in research or academic projects as a medical student?
Statement: UCL looks for “academic curiosity”. Question: What have you read or explored recently that genuinely challenged your thinking?
Statement: UCL values patient-centred care. Question: What does “patient-centred” mean in practice, not just as a phrase?
Statement: Healthcare in London involves huge diversity. Question: How would you make sure your care is inclusive and fair?
Statement: You’ll learn in big teaching hospitals and community settings. Question: What do you think you’ll learn in each environment?
Statement: UCL mentions resilience and robustness for the course. Question: What will you do to protect your wellbeing during medical school?
Statement: UCL interviews are values-based. Question: Which NHS value matters most to you, and how have you shown it?
Statement: Medical school is changing and evolving (curriculum reviews happen). Question: How do you cope with change and uncertainty?
What students say about applying and interviewing at UCL 💬
Every student’s journey is different, but UCL’s widening participation and outreach student stories often mention themes like:
🧠 Confidence grows with practice: students describe getting more comfortable with speaking about ethics, values and motivation once they practised regularly.
📝 Reflection beats “hours”: students talk about keeping notes or a diary of meaningful experiences (even outside healthcare), then using those reflections in personal statements and interview answers.
🤝 Support makes it feel possible: students often mention that having mentors and structured guidance helps turn “I’m not sure I can do this” into “I know what to do next”.
If you’ve ever felt like everyone else applying to UCL Medicine has it all figured out… they don’t. The difference is usually preparation + reflection + staying calm under pressure.
Top tips to smash the UCL MMI 🎓✨
Here’s what tends to work well for the UCL medical school interview:
⏱️ Train in 5-minute bursts. Set a timer and practise answering under pressure. MMIs reward clear structure.
🧩 Use a simple answer structure. For ethical scenarios: identify the issue → stakeholders → principles → what you’d do → why.
💬 Practise speaking out loud (not just thinking). Your ideas might be brilliant, but you need to communicate them smoothly.
🧠 Show your thinking. UCL literally says they don’t want you to over-memorise. Being able to think on your feet matters.
🧾 Have 6–8 personal examples ready. Teamwork, resilience, leadership, empathy, dealing with feedback — and what you learned.
🟢 Don’t panic about “hospital work experience”. UCL doesn’t require clinical work experience. Focus on what you learned from working with people (paid work counts!).
🧭 Know the NHS values. You don’t need to recite them like a poem — you need to show them in your reasoning and behaviour.
🩺 Be realistic about the job. Talk about what doctors actually do: teamwork, uncertainty, paperwork, emotional pressure, lifelong learning.
📚 Read lightly but consistently. One health story a week is enough — focus on understanding and forming opinions.
🧑🤝🧑 Do mock stations with someone blunt. Not someone who says “That was amazing!” to every answer. You want useful feedback.
😮💨 Reset between stations. One station might go badly. That’s the point of MMIs — move on quickly and start fresh.
🪪 Plan the practical bits. If in person: know your route, bring photo ID, arrive early, and eat something.
Relevant Links 🔗
If you're applying to UCL Medicine for 2026 entry, these are the most important official pages to bookmark:
UCL Medicine MBBS BSc (2026 entry prospectus page)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/prospective-students/undergraduate/degrees/medicine-mbbs-bsc
UCL MBBS Admissions (applications, UCAT and interview dates)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/divisions/medical-school/study/undergraduate/mbbs-admissions
UCL Selection Procedure (how UCL shortlists and what is scored at interview)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/divisions/medical-school/study/undergraduate/mbbs-admissions/selection-interviews/selection-procedure
UCL Interviews (MMI format, timings, what is assessed)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/divisions/medical-school/study/undergraduate/mbbs-admissions/selection-interviews/interviews
UCL Work Experience Guidance (Medicine MBBS BSc)
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/medical-sciences/divisions/medical-school/study/undergraduate/mbbs-admissions/work-experience
Medical Schools Council – Work Experience Guidance
https://www.medschools.ac.uk/studying-medicine/applications/work-experience
UCAT Official Website (registration, dates and practice materials)
https://www.ucat.ac.uk/
